| Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
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|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1930 |
| Preceding agency | Directorate General for Foreign Affairs |
| Jurisdiction | Saudi Arabia |
| Headquarters | Nasseriya Street, Riyadh |
| Agency executives | Prince Saud al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nizar bin Obaid Madani, Minister of State |
| Website | |
| http://www.mofa.gov.sa/ | |
| Saudi Arabia |
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Arabic: وزارة الخارجية Wizārat al-Khārijīyah) is the ministry responsible for handling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's external relations. The ministry oversees "political, cultural and financial international relations" and monitors the Kingdom's diplomatic relations.[1] It was created in 1930 by a royal decree issued by King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The head of the ministry, the Foreign Minister, is a member of the Saudi Council of Ministers.
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The senior officials in the ministry are as follows:[2]
| Official | Rank |
|---|---|
| Prince Saud al-Faisal | Minister |
| Dr. Nizar bin Obaid Madani | Minister of State |
While consolidating the newly formed Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz, King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, established foreign diplomatic relations by sending representatives and receiving delegations from various states. In 1926, he established the Directorate General for Foreign Affairs in Mecca.[3] In 1930, a royal decree was issued to elevate the directorate general to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. King Abdul Aziz appointed his son (and future king) Prince Faisal as the first Foreign Minister.[4] The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was formally established by King Abdul Aziz in 1932.
The ministry began establishing diplomatic missions abroad. The number of missions increased from five in 1936 to 18 in 1951 and expanded further after that.
Aside from a brief interjection, Prince Faisal continued to serve even after he succeeded the throne as King. After his assassination in 1975, Faisal was succeeded as Foreign Minister by his son, Prince Saud al-Faisal.[4] Saud is currently the longest-serving foreign minister of any country in history.[5]
It is rumored that the next Foreign Minister will be Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saud's younger brother, after Saud retires.[6]
The following is the list of Ministers of Foreign Affairs since 1930:[4]
Previous Ministers of State:[3]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh was designed by Henning Larsen. It blends both vernacular and monumental styles of Islamic architecture.[7]
Built in 1984, building consists of meeting, conference and prayer rooms, a library and a banquet hall.[7] Externally, the building appears as a fortress that was carved out of a single piece of stone.[8]
Larsen received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1989 for his work on the building.[7][8]
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